burden



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. BURDEN. GAR GUARD 0R FENDER.

,No. 542,303. Patented July 9-, 1895.

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(No Model.) .2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. BURDEN.

GAR GUARD 0R FENDER;

No. 542,303. Patented July 9,1895.

HENRY BURDEN; F TRGY, YORK;

CAR ciu'A Rs OTR; BEND-E Rt.

EPEGIFICATION forming part;of-: Letters Patent No. 542,3fl3ydated my 9;.1 8f95i Ap ntaibn fiiea'r ais; 1895'. Serial 1%. 544,845. (N6 modll) I To all" whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BURDEN, of the.- city of Troy, countyof Rensselaer, State of New York, have invented new and'usef'ul Improvements in Car Gfuardsor Fenders, of

which the following isaspecification.

My inventi'on relates to. improvements in car guardsor fenders, and more particularly to the constructionand arrangement of a net for connection with that class of apparatus,

it being the object and purpose of my inven-.

tion and improvementto so construct thenet that it will beielastic in its contactwiththe body of a person struck by or who may have fallen in front ofa moving car.. To make the net so used and to have it yielding and elastic, 1' form it from a series of elastic tubesections, which are strung. upontchains or on wires which cross each othervat right angles, where they interlockvbetween the tubersecf tions withthechains or wires at their lower ends connecting with a-fender-bar which is.

A frame being provided with slides,-in which it is a plan view of a part of the net.

may be drawn rearwardly and raised andi held-as, raised. To give to .thefender-bar means to easily pass over. inequalities of the ground it is. provided with idler-rollers and a drag-spring.

Accompanying this specification to forma part of' it there are two plates of' drawings, containing-six figures, illustrating my invention, with the same designation of parts by reference-letters used in allof them.

Of the illustrations, Figure 1 is a perspective of a motor-car with my improved guard or fender attached thereto. Fig. 21s a side elevation of a partof a motor-car with my invention shown as applied thereto. Fig. 3 Fig. 4 is a plan view of the frame with the net omitted. Fig. 5 is a perspective ofone of the frameslides, showing also parts of the frame sides. Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line as a: of

Fig. 3, with the drag-spring shown in side elevation.

The several parts of the apparatus thus illustrated are designated by letter-reference,

and thefunc tion of the p'arts'isydescribed as follows:

Theletter Gfdesignates thecar; P, itsend platforms; D,.i.ts.dashboard.

The letters F designatethe-guard" or fender frame, it having two sides, each sidebeing divided'in twoparts f fiandthelatter where extended rearwardly making a hinged connection with the bracket B at. each side-of the car-bottom, and the letter B designates each side of the frame.

The letter S designates a drag-spri-ng,which at itsfront end connects withthefender-ba-r B, and it has: its free end c projected rearwardly and in such a position as'w-ill relieve the bar B and connected parts from the effect of any abrupteontactw-ith inequalities of the ground over which the apparatus is. being moved. I

The letters N designate a slide, of which there is one formed in each-side of: the. frame F, and this slide is produced by means: of the guides g and g they eaph-havinga slide-passage p' and an eyefor attachment to one of theframe partsf 'andf The guide 9 is attached tothe outer end of each ofthe frameparts f 3 at each sideof the frame, with the framepart f passing. throughv the passage 10 of theg-uide g;',and the guide part g is at? tached at p to the inner end of the frame part f with. the frame part f passing freely through the passage 19. of the guide part 9 The letter P designates a sleeve which is arranged on the frame part f between the guides g and 9 in each of the slides N, and the function of this sleeve is to limit the indrawing movement of the frame parts.

The letter O designates a chain attached to an eye 6 on the guide part g to connect byh means of a hook it in the eye e on the thus constructed when the chain 0 is unhooked from the eye 6 the frame may at its front be moved inwardly in its slides and hooked in such a position by means of the chain (3*, connecting with an eye a in each of the frame sides.

The letters M designate chains, ofi which there is one at each side of the frame, and these chains at their lower ends each connect at m to one of the sides of the frame, and at their upper ends they each connect with an eye at on the under side of the platform; and to render these chains elastic as to tension they are each provided with a spiral spring m, arranged between the upper end of the chain and its connection thereat.

The letters I designate other chains, of which there is one at each side of the "frame, and they are each provided with a spiral spring 1', arranged between Where the chains attach to connect with the eye m and the frame sides at i The net N is made from a series of tube parts U, preferably of rubber, and these tubesections are strung upon wires or chains W with the latter arranged to intersect each other angularly, and where intersecting to connect at 10 as shown at Fig. 3, by which the net is rendered flexible, and its contactsurface is elastic. The net N at its lower end connects with the fender-bar B and at its upper end to the rail R by means of thespiral springs Y.

The fender-bar B is made from a piece of pipe P which constitutes the fender-bar proper, and this pipe is curved outwardly and centrally at its ends 0 O to connect with the frame sides.

The letter T designates a length of rubber tubing which is slit throughout its length on one side, and where thus slit its edges are arranged to embrace so as to overlap and underlap the fender-bar proper, and in which position it is secured by a wire W, with wool or other like cushioning material placed between the front side of the fender-bar part P and the innerside of the rubber tubing T, as shown at Fig. 6.

The principal feature of my invention being the manner of constructing and arranging the net whereby it will be flexible and make an elastic impact with a body with which it may be brought in contact, I do not limit my invention thereof, as I illustrate and describe it, to the particular mechanism to which I show it to be attached, for its construction, as detailed herein by me, can be applied to many of the well-known car guards or fenders in which a net or screen is employed. Neither do I limit my method of constructing the fender-bar to its combination with the particular mechanism to which I show it to be applied, as it may be used in connection with the fender-bars of other and well-known car guards or fenders. t M

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in anet for a car-guard or fender of a series of elastic tubeparts strung upon wires or chains arranged to intersect each other angularly between the tubeparts and to connect thereat, with a bar at the bottom of the net and a rail at the top substantially in the manner asand for the purposes set forth. v y y y 2. The combination with a net for a car guard or fender composed of a series of elastic tube-sections strung upon chains or wires arranged to intersect each other angularly between the tube-parts and to connect thereat; of a fender bar provided with an elastic coverlng at its front side connected to the lower end of said net, and a top rail connected to the upper end of the net, substantially in the manner as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a fender-bar foracar-guard or fender the combination with the fender-bar proper of a cushion on its front side formed from a section of rubber tubing which is slit throughout its length on one side and with the slit edges of the tubing embracing the bar, and secured thereon by wire, and a cushioning material inserted between the inner surface of the tubing and the outer side face of the bar, substantially in the manner as and for the purposes set forth. y t

4. The combination with the net N constructed with elastic tubular sections strung upon wires or chains so as to intersect each other between the tube sections and at the top connected by means of the springs Y, with the rail R the bar B, connected to the bottom of the net; the frame F, at its front end connecting with the bar B, and provided with slides N, in each of its sides with the rear ends of the frame hinged to a bracket at each side of the car, substantially as and for the pu rpeses set forth.

Signed at Troy, New York, this 1st day of April, 1895.

HENRY BURDEN.

Witnesses:

W. E. HAGAN, CHARLES S. BRINTNALL. 

